Wildlife returns to transformed Lake Eyre

Central Australia is brimming with life as waterbirds on South Australia's Lake Eyre begin breeding.

Scientists have been conducting aerial surveys of the lake and the flood plains of south-west Queensland.

They say the region has been transformed, with tens of thousands of pelicans, ducks and other waterbirds arriving.

But they had been expecting more wildlife following massive flooding in Queensland earlier this year.

Professor Richard Kingsford from the University of New South Wales says the lack of flood events in the Murray-Darling in recent years may be why fewer waterbirds are flocking inland.

"I had expected to see more waterbirds here and it would certainly accord with the sort of data that we've been collecting in the Murray-Darling," he said.

"We're seeing major declines in the numbers of waterbirds there on the big wetlands that don't flood nearly as frequently or as extensively as they used to.

"I guess one of the things that is a bit of surprise is we were expecting more waterbirds than what we actually found.

"Having said that - it's still spectacular. There are big breeding colonies of pelicans, we've got pelicans just starting to breed on Lake Eyre on one of the islands down there, so it is brimming with life at the moment."